Monday, November 9, 2015

10 Questions for Author Sue Coletta About Her New Book, "Marred"

Introduction

Author Sue Coletta is always thinking up ways to commit murder…on the page, or
so she says. Although we've never met in person, Sue and I have bonded over
writing and become long-distance friends who cheer each other on.

Sue is one of the hardest-working writers I know, so I was especially thrilled
when she signed a deal with Tirgearr Publishing for her new psychological
thriller/mystery Marred - which will be officially released this Wednesday,
November 11! Way to go, Sue!

A four-thousand-word excerpt of Marred also scored first placement in the
upcoming anthology, Murder, USA. Sue is a member of Mystery Writers of America
and Sisters in Crime, and she generously agreed to answer my questions about
her new book and upcoming projects.

The Interview

Eliza: I really enjoyed reading an advance copy of Marred. Tell our readers a
bit about the book.Sue:Marred is a psychological thriller/mystery. The story is told through three different points of views: Sage and Niko Quintano and Niko’s snarky deputy sheriff, Frankie Campanelli.Bestselling author Sage Quintano was
brutally assaulted by a serial killer, an attack that caused her to lose her
unborn child, scarring her in way she didn’t think possible. Niko Quintano, a
Boston homicide detective, insists they flee to rural New Hampshire, where he
accepts a position as Grafton County Sheriff.

Sage buries secrets from that night,
secrets she swears to take to her grave.

Three years of anguish and painful
memories pass. A strange caller torments Sage. She can’t outrun the past.
Searching Niko’s case files, Sage finds similarities to the Boston killer. A
sadistic psychopath is preying on innocent women, marring their bodies in
unspeakable ways. And now, he has her twin sister.

Cryptic clues…hidden messages…is he
hinting at his identity? Or is trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end
his reign of terror with a matching set of corpses?

Eliza: What made you decide to
specialize in writing about crime?

Sue: It’s what I love to read/watch. I’ve
always been fascinated with forensics and serial killers, so it only seemed
natural to write about them.

Eliza: Who are some of the authors who have inspired and
influenced you?

Sue: Thomas Harris amazes me. Is there no better
serial killer thriller than Silence of the Lambs? The way he dives into the
killer’s psyche is mind-blowing. Not many authors can create a serial killer
who readers root for, but look at Hannibal Lector. Love him!

Larry Brooks, who’s also a
friend, has influenced me the most. Not only are his craft books the best in
the business, IMO, but his thrillers are incredible. While reading I never know
what’s real or what’s made-to-look real. He’s caused me many sleepless nights.

Karin Slaughter is another author
who’s influenced the way I tell my stories. I could go on and on. Good or bad,
I think we’re influenced by everything we read, see, and experience.

Eliza: You seem like such a nice person. What motivated you to write about a brutal, psychopathic
killer in Marred?

Sue: Psychopathic killers fascinate me.
What makes them tick? Why do they kill? How do they choose their victims? These
questions and more I’ve pondered most of my life. As such, I’ve done extensive
research into serial killers. They all have similar traits, too. Each killer
goes through phases… the aura phase, trolling phase, wooing phase, capture
phase, murder phase, totem phase, and finally, the depression phase. On this
blog I wrote a post about the phases, entitled TheSerial Killer.

Eliza: The dialogue and descriptions in
Marred feel very authentic. How were
you able to achieve such realism in your writing?

Sue: Easy. Wherever I go, I eavesdrop on
people’s conversations. No better way to learn dialogue! Once I have it down, I
go back and tweak here and there. I did, however, make a conscious effort not
to load my stories with paragraphs of description, because that’s not what I
enjoy reading. I much prefer a metaphor that nails the scene, or a few lines of
description, than to hear about the sun, sky, trees, grass, wind, for endless
pages.

Eliza: What was the most challenging
aspect of writing this book?

Sue: All novel writing is challenging
in one aspect or another, right? Whoever says writing is easy, hasn’t done it
right yet. J The
hardest part for me was to not give away too much too soon. It’s natural to
want to reveal all the goodies we have in store for our readers. To pull back
and let the unanswered questions linger, and then unfold slowly takes time and
attention to detail. Did you think I’d say the research was the hardest? That
was my favorite part!

Eliza: Is there a message in your novel
that you hope readers will take away after reading it?

Sue: Secrets can, and often will,
destroy you and those you hold dear.

There’s also an underlying message that
I hope will help someone who’s been suffering like Sage. Please seek help and find
the strength to come forward. You don’t have to suffer alone.

Eliza: Your book is already climbing
the sales charts, and you’ve gotten some amazing initial reviews. What do you
think about this early buzz?

Sue: It blows my mind! Once edits were
complete and we had a release date, ARCs went out, and my nerves fired like
spit in hot oil. I did an interview with CrimeFiction.fm podcast the other day
and I described the feeling as standing naked in the middle of the road for all
to judge. We pour our hearts and souls into our stories. To release that part
of us into the world is terrifying. At least, it is for me. So, the buzz? Words
cannot express how thrilled I am that others are enjoying Marred.

Eliza: Without giving anything away,
I’ll just say that you left a door open at the conclusion of your book. Will we
see a sequel to Marred?

Sue: You sure will!

Eliza: Excellent. What’s next for you?

Sue: I’m polishing a new thriller (a
rewrite of my novel, Timber Point). Wings of Mayhem is about a computer
forensic specialist, Shawnee Daniels, who moonlights as a cat burglar and
mistakenly steals a killer’s trophy box. This novel is also told from three
perspectives. Shawnee, Detective Levaughn Samuels, and the killer, who’s been
especially fun to write. Wings of Mayhem is more of a cat-and-mouse, with the
killer clearly depicted and named from Chapter One. The mystery element is the
why behind the murders and, y’know, the twist. *wink* Even though the rewrite
has been a nightmare—it would have been easier to start from scratch—it’s also
been a rewarding experience. Poor Shawnee, I’ve put her through hell. *rubs
palms* Mwah ha ha.

Keep watch for Wings of Mayhem in the
coming months. In the meantime, Marred
is available at all online retailers. Print versions coming in 2016. To take
advantage of the 99 cent pre-release sale go to Amazon
(link will work for all countries). Your copy of Marred will automatically be delivered on Wednesday, November 11th.
Thank you!

Eliza: Thank you, Sue, and here's to a fabulous launch of Marred and continued success with all of your projects.

Eliza Cross is the author of nine nonfiction books including her latest, 101 Things To Do With Beans. She blogs at HappySimpleLiving.com and ButteryChardonnay.com and is the founder of the bacon enthusiast society BENSA, which—unlike Mensa—welcomes members of all intelligence levels. She is currently working on a book about cooking with beer.

2 comments
:

Anonymous
said...

Really interesting interview with Sue Coletta. I have pre-ordered Marred and am looking forward to reading it - particularly after reading the interview which gives a bit of a preview and a fascinating incite into both the research and inspiration for the book.